A case study of Downtown L.A. as a metro-prison.
Warning: Despite of its testimony full of culture and wisdom, this site contains naked pictures of beautiful all-natural busty Asian girls and should be thoroughly examined.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Well, what can you do with $10 for Thanksgiving? You can either eat at your family's, relatives', friends' or nice strangers' places or buy this from the local supermarket and come up to Downtown Chick's apartment and talk shit with her for a nice evening over L.A., politics and the Dalai Lama when she's cleaning her apartment... She has chips if you're hungry...

And for ten bucks, this bottle is way over her expectation... Get this name down... Not the Villages. It's just the Beaujolais. And I know Sarko will spank me for drinking cheap wine again... Okay fine... The controlling French man... Sheesh...

$9 a glass, unlike its cousin the disgusting Clos du Bois merlot, surprisingly, it's a smooth sweet easy-to-drink chardonnay with some Brazilian fried cod fish for a chilly night on Sunset with my exchange student friend from Provence. Short finish, but hey, it's good enough for a glass over a decent conversation. He's just 22 dude! Get over it!

My dog has just been diagnosed of fatal illness. I should really cut down my outings. Argh..., pondering how to handle the four figure veterinary bill now... A typical evening after my codependent Ex returned her: walked her; made allergen-free dry dog food mixed with human grade raw rabbit meat and soothing digestive relief; talked to her in English, Cantonese and a bit French; an hour later, Prednisone; walked her again; washed her feet, butt and pee holes with clean water; wrote a little bit; before bed, doggy antacid and another infection medicine... I get up at 6:00AM to do the same in the morning... Just like for a human baby... I love my dog's life more than my own life... And she does so too... She won't let anybody touch her butt and nails except myself... I do most of the grooming and manicure myself cuz she hates everybody except me... Downtown Chick is depressed... My bitch really IS me...

Monday, November 26, 2007

[Photo by Kit S. on Yelp ] Its thrift store is not cheap but it does have a wide selection of things. It has a lot of interesting old furniture, lots and lots of chairs, mattresses, cabinets, desks, closets, etc. I mean, A LOT. It's big! I had an eye on a vintage wall unit and it could go for $1600 although it still needed some minor work here and there. So you can imagine it's gotten some good stuff. There're old DVD players, speakers, lots of AV equipments supposed to be expensive if new for sale too. They even had used cars for sale there in the past I believe cuz one of the guys I knew bought a Mercedez there but I'm not sure if they're still doing it now. The clothing selection is also giant. Other household items like picture frames, paintings, mirrors, dolls, everything are overwhelming. I can only glance cuz there're too many of them. I'm not really too proficient in thrift store gold rush activity but if you're good in it, this can be a very good place for you to kill a couple hours.

The hygenic condition of this place is satisfactory. No nasty weird smell of any sort and items're overall touchable. I just find their prices are marked a bit higher than maybe the general Goodwill or Salvation Army? But still, it's for good cause so we can live without that little bit more I'm sure.

It doesn't have AC or TV, but it's gotten a big window, so grab the table next to the window if it's hot. There're usually nobody in it. Everybody buys take out or orders delivery there. There're around 2-3 small tables with plastic table cloth in it now and each sits 2-3 people. It's a one man band. He delivers by his bike if you're local. Isn't it wonderful? He's a VERY VERY nice old man who always laughs and jokes around.

When I have a bad day like today, I like going to places like that alone after work and immediately feeling better from something so simple and sweet: kind man on the block and yum yum in the box. I guess it's a little like stressed beaten up men going to strip clubs. Only my remedy is much cheaper and Persian.

You can ask to change the rice in the plates to salad if you don't eat rice that much. His falafel's great. Love those fried balls. So tasty. I can eat there everyday.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

See, I knew this's gonna happen. My first love finally came back to me!

What came in email today is a Facebook invitation from my inmate first love. Remember the inmate I talked about in I'm a psycho ex? He's the man dude! So after a number of friends tried then failed to get me into Facebook, here comes Inmatian's... Okay, you gotta admit a past love's Facebook invitation is a killer... I budged... I wanted to see how he was doing so badly... Who doesn't? So I registered and went through the whole nine yards... So finally, I saw a picture of him...!

Um, I don't know how that happened. But apparently he changed. I mean, he changed A LOT! He was originaly a Jamaican British guy. Now, maybe Michael Jackson's surgeon volunteered for Médecins Sans Frontières in a grade school in some small town in North U.K.? He looks white! Not only that he looks white, he looks like he eats grass! I cannot believe what a good job they have done on his face! The eyes, the lips, the face, the shape of his arm, for some reason, look exactly like somebody's I saw not long ago! That's just so strange! Do they have Famima in York too? The way he spoke the words of sweetness to me, the way he looked me in his eyes, the way he held me in his arms and tasted my lips that wanted to be kissed, that toxicating scent of a man that I was supposed to kiss him on his crotch... Aw, no, I mean kick him on his crotch...

Did another man added me instead of Inmatian? All I saw on my first love's profile were a man and some grass! Come on, that couldn't be true... How could it be possible that these two men now look so alike? There must be some problem with my eyes tonight... Seriously, it's true. You think you ran away from everything all the way to the other side of the world, then you find the exact same "thing". It's in you. It's not elsewhere.

Inmatian "sent me a flower" on Facebook and said "Good to be in contact again!" Is it? Is it really good to be in contact again? So I saw his son's profile, his baby pictures and the room of his house he's renting out for students. Those things about his life he told that 22-year-old girl every night after work in her dorm room suddenly all came back from the drawer of the forgotten passion like a group of pigeons flying off the street when a car came... Wow... This is heavy... I was about to graduate from grad school that time. What happened to me? Oh okay I remember now. That shit. I bet if I look into his eyes right now, he'd still be just as fearless as when he cheated. We all have our own ways to not exactly forgive ourselves but actually deny our wrong doing. And if they know it's safe 10 years later when they see you work, you write, you move away, you see other people and know you probably don't care about them anymore, they send a fucking Facebook invite to you, that young woman they almost killed just because their dicks were itchy.

And because most women will die with no laid, they stay with their husbands like that so there's another happy couple with some happy family pictures on Facebook.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Does anybody know where the hottest ass in Los Angeles is? What? Downtown Chick's bed? No, that's only the 2nd. The hottest Angeleno ass is in on the waiter Terry's in Saladesde Provence in WeHo.

Every woman has a man that makes her a real writer. Terry is my man. His place and he have made Downtown Chick go back to publish in Chinese which I haven't done for a good few years. But for Terry's smoking hot ass, all is worth it. This entry is dedicated to Terry's hospitality and their excellent menu which is exactly the same as the Salades de Provence in Provence in France.

For a complete bread bitch, what can be better than a funny guy swinging his very firm perky cute butt under those perfect sand-washed straight leg blue jeans holding a delicious L'Assiette Mirabeau (The Mirabeau Plate) with some tender salty Prosciutto ham and goat cheese over my favorite dry crunchy brown tartines of Poilane bread to me? Well, that is, maybe if they have a wine cellar there as well? No, seriously, I can't think of anything else except that. Besides, you can always bring a bottle in or get one from the giant wine store next door. There's no corkage fee in Salades de Provence. This place is just awesome. The organic little cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, walnut pine nuts made Downtown Chick a very happy single girl in the Boys Town...

If you are looking for a place where you can listen to some old skool French pop classic like Laurent Voulzy, Gilbert Montagne, Claude Francois near home, you might want to consider moving there, at least I do. It's not that I don't like Jay-Z or accordion; I do, but at the price of $13.95 a plate, sometimes I want to sit somewhere I can hear Henri Salvador, play with that old-fashioned water bottle lid and write a bit. Okay, fine, I lie. I'm pretending to be unpretentious. I hate Jay-Z. He's a fucking idiot. How can somebody listen to that kind of crap? Don't get it.

I didn't have too good of an appetite from a recent stomach sickness so I skipped dessert. My friend gave me a scoop of his moelleux au chocolat for dessert though. It was good. Soft inside, not melted and flowing but not as hard as a brownie as well, sweet and just about right. Salades de Provence also has a good selection of ice-cream. It's a frugal hedonistic shortest getaway a heart-broken Downtowner can take within a radius of 10 miles.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

How does it feel when you are tied up, burnt in fire?How does it feel when somebody pours a bottle of abrasive to your face?How does it feel when a Mobil truck crashes your little passenger car?How does it feel when you are raped in Los Angeles street?

How does it feel when you see your comrade bombed in the battlefield?How does it feel when you've been drinking for four days?How does it feel when your love despises you?How does it feel when your parents die?

You feel like how I feel now.When Grass-eater doesn't show up at my doorstep anymore,That's how it feels.Light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, my soul.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

So, you know, when I first started dating Keanu, it's because he played in the movie under the influence of one of my favorite authors - Matrix. But then it's really too far of a stretch. Keanu looks kind of more thoughtful than some dudes from Venice but he really doesn't know jack about simulation when you start talking to him in French. Plus he kept taking me to his Hollywood red carpet parties, private jets to Hawaii and shit like that which just really bored the crap out of me. I always forgot to bring my perfume and anti-psychotics when I traveled which didn't help recovery at all. So after a while I decided to end it with Keanu when the New French President sent me poems and roses to my apartment in Downtown everyday... How romantic...

Everybody thought his ex-supermodel wife dumped Sarko right? Actually no, he dumped her for me... Poof! No one knows... Sarko hates people knowing his private life. One time Yahoo found out about us from our email conversation. He freaked out.

"I'm gonna call my friend and fire that guy in Yahoo who's gonna tell the world about you and me," he said when I was busy closing my curtains when he came over. You know, Downtown is full of journalists and bloggers. You never know.

"But um, my dear, I'm not sure if you can do that. It's Yahoo. They can even kowtow to China on the expense of some journalist's prison time for their offices in Beijing and Shanghai. It's not Paris Match you know? This's America..." I turned around and mumbled.

"Yes, I can. I've gotten some friend there too."

"Really? You know people in America too? You never told me. Who?"

"Bush!" He had just come back from Washington after some hotdog and burger meals.

"But you sure you wanna do anything him? He's a serial..."

"Enough! I don’t want them to like me. I want them to help me get things done!"

"Aw, okay, so, can we eat now?" Well, there's always a way with anybody including controlling French men.

Because it's bad English if we use the same word twice in a sentence, I'm gonna say "Sarko gave me a passionate tongue-involving kiss and we went to our favourite French restaurant." We started with this scallop and shrimp brochette in puff pastry and fine herbs mousseline first. How to stick the pastry to the plate so it doesn't move? Put some mashed potatoes underneath. That's the trick. The puff pastry was good but I couldn't eat the whole thing. Too much carb. I wasn't that impressed with the scallop and shrimp. It tasted a little over-cooked. For seafood, I'm all for the Japanese and Chinese styles. Fresh and raw. Cooking isn't my favorite way to handle seafood. And then here came the roasted venison in poivrade sauce and baby veal chop in morrel cream sauce for the main. The mushrooms on the lamb were truffles. They were so delicious. As much as the beef was also juicy, tasty and of good quality, the lamb was just so so tender and nice. It was pretty unbelievable. I had not had better lamb elsewhere in Los Angeles.

Unknown French cheeses with mache and endive salad. That's something I'm not used to: eating salad after the meat.

These two cute cones were dangerous, especially the vanilla: chocolate and vanilla canneles with hazelnut sauce. The vanilla cannele was a piece of art. How could a dessert be so tasty? That's really too much. Felt like I had an orgasm.

Pakistan is on the brink: unpopular president General Pervez Musharraf has imposed a state of emergency, sacked the Supreme Court, shut down the media and basic freedoms, and imprisoned democratic opposition leaders. The general blames his actions on an imagined coalition of terrorists and independent-minded judges -- but his real fear may be losing absolute power.

Elections are planned for January 2008 -- they must not be postponed. But martial law and the imprisonment of democratic opposition leaders don't make for a free and fair vote either. So we're calling on the international community -- particularly the US Congress, which has voted Musharraf billions of dollars in military aid over the last six years -- to use all its leverage for swift elections and restoring constitutional protections. Click below to sign our petition immediately, then tell your friends so they can do the same --

We just received this email from Asma Jahangir, head of the Pakistani Human Rights Commission and the UN's Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion worldwide. Now under house arrest in Lahore, she's one of many Pakistanis urgently asking the world community to raise our voice:

There is a strong crackdown on the press and lawyers... The Chief Justice is under house arrest (unofficially). The President of the Supreme Court Bar (Aitzaz Ahsan) and 2 former presidents, Mr. Muneer Malik and Tariq Mahmood have been imprisoned for one month under the Preventive Detention laws...

There are other scores political leaders who have also been arrested. Yesterday I was house arrested for 90 days... the President (who has lost his marbles) said that he had to clamp down on the press and the judiciary to curb terrorism. Those he has arrested are progressive, secular minded people, while the terrorists are offered negotiations and ceasefires.

Lawyers and civil society will challenge the government and the scene is likely to get uglier. We want friends of Pakistan to urge the US administration to stop all support of the instable dictator, as his lust for power is bringing the country close to a worse form of civil strife...

--Asma JahangirLahore, Pakistan

General Musharraf claims that martial law is necessary to combat extremist terror. But it just doesn't add up. Musharraf retains strong links with the Pakistani Taliban (see PS below). His emergency powers are being directed only against the democratic opposition, free press and judiciary – just days before a scheduled ruling on whether Musharraf could run for president while remaining army chief. In an August poll, too, Pakistanis rated "ensuring an independent judiciary, free press and free elections" as their top priority.

Right now, leaders around the world are deciding how to respond. The General is dressing up his crackdown in the rhetoric of "anti-terrorism" because Musharraf and his military supporters depend on foreign military aid and international recognition to maintain their legitimacy. That's why we have to speak out now.

The world can't ignore the threat of chaos in Pakistan, or the voices of our fellow democrats there. Let's come together as we did on Burma, and move our governments to act. In these crucial early days, the voice of the world's people has tremendous power. Let's use it. Sign the petition and tell your friends today -

Thursday, November 8, 2007

[Photo credit to Nano M. on Yelp.com] It's a beautiful bar in the Art District. By beautiful I mean it's tasteful but not grand/fancy/middle-class. It's furnished and decorated in the classic/feminine style. I just feel the feminine energy the moment I stepped into it for some reason. It's strange. I believe many people like the temptress-dressed bartenders although I can probably live without it. The curtained small areas in front of the bar are sweet. Drinks in hand, you can find a cornor and share with somebody after a long stressful day on the comfortable cool leather couch. And if you're up, maybe even a walk on the bridge just right around the cornor afterwards? I kinda like that area of downtown. It's not as crowded and "hip" but more underground.

There's dress code. My friend was wearing a cap and he had to take it off. They're strict about that.

Their $7 house red cab tastes like dishwater. Do not order house there. It's just ridiculous.

In terms of meeting people, I will never really go there just to hang out with people I don't know though. Let me put it this way - It's older than a meat market. It's the kind of place you will tell a guy under his tacky aviator shades "Honey I need you to do one thing for me. Stop talking to me cuz that fake blonde sitting over there that you've just hit on looks like a complete moron and I'd like to keep my record clean." I'm sorry if I'm a bitch but I'd rather be a bitch than one of those desperate generic women in their 30s or 40s that will let any of the guys there touch them all over after two drinks. Sorry, but it's really like that there. It's pretty pathetic for grown-ups. If you're that kind of guy that doesn't care about having your taste and hair intact, congratulations, you can get laid there any time.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

[Photo from Here Comes The Guide] This glass box cross the library tower is charming. Classy interior, surprisingly good energy without the suspected snottiness. Excellent helpful wait staff. I had a good night there.

Try all means to have the lobster there. It's GOOD! Hands down. Why do we spend our money on clam and oyster in Water Grill? Might as well go for lobster like this. It was MP-ed on the menu and we had it for $45 I believe if memory works.

Another fun thing to do there is the cheese plate. I used to think cheese plate of a dinner is really like a "closure" of an ended relationship. If there's much enough there to need a serious breakup, you do the cheese plate, then get the check. If there's not enough, it's just gonna be maybe cheesecake or coffee or even nothing, like the phone calls just stop and nobody makes a sound. Cuz think about it, why do we really eat a cheese plate? It's quite filling and it takes longer time than desserts. It's almost like another entree after a good one. You really gotta like the night much enough to commit your ass to a cheese plate knowing there's enough vibe to share with that person. I've only done a couple cheese plates in my life so I'm still girly about it.

It's a dressy place but we both wore just nice jeans and it was accepted. I however fail to walk in there again. The last hour of my 30th's birthday was spent there with Grass-eater. He said the couple nights before then he was thinking I would wear a very very short skirt for our date. He said he didn't feel good about something in his family. He said many many things, and sweated a bit... At that time I didn't know why he was always stressed. Now I know. I feel a thousand needles on my heart.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

[Photo credit to Caroline Y. on Yelp.com] Okay, gray haired uptight old guys in suits keep talking to the other guy while peek at you are hot. I like that. Maybe they should have wood floor so the heels can make louder sound while I walk to consummate my nostalgic fantasy.

So we started off with the oyster clam platter. It was excellent. Okay, there's a reason why it's voted number one. I agree. It's better than Ocean Avenue. Hands down. The only one I will compare them with is actually the seafood plateau in Balthazar in NY, geez much cheaper choice. But hey I was only a tourist, I could have romanticized the little guys on the other coast hehe...

My lasting memory was with the Pacific big eye tuna after couple glasses of champaign and enough foreplay with the oyster, clam, mussel, shrimp, crab and lobster. Definitely get it if you like soft, rich, juicy fish. It's dangerously good there. I'm not talking about the tiny tuna tartar. I mean the real deal, the main dish.

Monday, November 5, 2007

[Photo credit to Lucas R. on Yelp.com] Um I think the folks in Mai must have been partying the night before I visited and had a serious hangover... They forgot about the food in the trays at all...!

The pork was dried up at the tips, tough and the sauce was mundane... I don't eat tortilla so I went for the carnitas plate with rice and beans... Let me put it this way, the little yellowish rice was worse than what you'd get as a side from El Pollo Loco, and the beans were just plain Mexican-normal, nothing special. They did give me a lot of cilantro in red sauce which kind of made the plate a bit less disappointing but even the red sauce wasn't that impressive at all. I was disheartened. Paid $6.45. I'm so very over it like an ex.

Apparently not all mom and pop places are good. Some are just mom and pop and maybe even aunt and uncle and nephew and niece... but nothing good to my mouth.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Their ramen is definitely not bad. It's not as good as in Daikokuya but it's pretty good, especially the spicy ones. The ingredients taste fresh and the soup base is quite tasty. But the must-order is definitely the omlette rice. Gravy over the omlette and melt into the rice once you open it. Woo... I'm not even a big fan of rice but still eat a lot of it there.

There're also not as many drunk red-faced Asian guys as in Daikokuya and or creepy rice molesters with some really dumb looking Asian girls as in Suehiro as well. It's more down to earth, marginal hole in the wall kind of place for some harmless mellow Japanese food.

I like the atmosphere and the kitchen where you can see every single detail of it. Sometimes it's relaxing to see the chef frying with that big wok like he's dancing in front of me or something after a long day.

It's the kind of place I never make a special trip to go but maybe every half year or so, I kind of pass it and crave for that familiar touch.

Do you see the traffic light across the street in front of the pole saying "Japanese Village"? Grass-eater and I kissed there, again and again, last time when it's as chilly at night. He, and I, like there're no others. With his hands on my waist, I could not care anymore. We made love after we ate in Kouraku. He put a black towel in his bed, asked me to open my legs, and gently pulled the tampon out.

Seriously, I feel very peaceful to be home alone in bed by the Kitties. I hope soon I will finish serving my time and can leave this world.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Okay Blackbird of Lost Souls plays there so I wanted to check it out. But I went on a wrong day. Cheesy top 40; empty dance floor; a few customers on the stools looking like they had just gotten lost in nowhere; advertised its "Neighborhood Night" on My Open Bar L.A. while the bartender said she knew nothing about it... Not helpful. Not friendly at all. What the hell? A dive's value is its personal touch, not LACK of personal touch... I think they need to headhunt somebody from maybe 107, Short Stop or Ye Rustic Inn to learn what a decent dive's supposed to be like...

:-/

What a waste of the original Alexandria's historic interior, especially after reading so many stories about landlord cutting toilet water and throwing residents out to the street on L.A. Times... Was thinking it's a place to visit and get to feel the history there... Oh well...I love old buildings; the older the better; and really think they'll fly on the right hand. But Charlie O's a misfortune. Basically, with a pair of ears allergic to crappy music, I could not stand staying there for longer than 3 minutes. Yeah, Bukowski took a dump there, like I care.

Friday, November 2, 2007

[Photo from you-are-here.com] Bartender Aaron is super nice but soon he will need a job. Drinks're $4 but very weak. Keep drinking and going to the restroom. It's very bright inside for a bar and been there for 30 years or so I think?

It's clean and very comfortable to kick back with some friends with a beer. It's spacious. Dinner companion even pulled his suitcase in right after getting off the plane which I don't think we could have found another spot as relaxed as that. Everybody minds their own business.

They're closing the end of this year because of some plausible plot (One time a guy went in and later LAPD said that guy was a suspect and influenced no renewal of lease; owner decided not to fight cuz he knew he'd still have no lease).

I'm very disappointed this kind of business of so much history is forced to close. Wonder what's next to take over that desirable spot right next to so many expansive loft buildings where the landlord can probably make much more than how much they do now with that mysterious "suspect" deal. The message of the story is don't order delivery: the Pitfire dude comes in then tomorrow your home's cracked down cuz he's a "suspect", you never know.

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May I encourage my readers to leave comments? This blog has been getting three figure hits daily while I rarely see any comments except from my honorary reader Professor Pielke. I have no idea from where the traffic is drawn (it says “no referring link” for 98% of the clicks). I just wanna know if it's in the process that a bucket of feces on Downtownchick’s doorstep is plotted so that I can stock up cleaning supplies from 99¢ Store or if you just accidentally spell the entire URL correctly on your address bar when you sleepwalk. That’s all.

Who the heck’s Downtown Chick?

That crazy bitch lives in an old building for writers and the mentally ill in the old bank district in Los Angeles Downtown alone after she was discharged from the asylum. Because of her multiple personality disorder, she has to write her alter-ego blog here when she does not play her primary role around her boss, mom, dad, uncles, aunts, cousins, boyfriends, girlfriends, neighbors, fans, stalkers, and oh mine, her dream guy with whom she wants to share her most inner secrets, hopes and dreams!

Anyhow, she specializes in inventing a new form of mental seclusion in a cosmopolitan environment in the 21th century. Her hobbies include flirting with her shrink, loitering by major drug dealer locations on Los Angeles Street and online bargain shopping for Prozac alternatives. She can be reached at downtownchick@gmail.com.